Valve-motion for internal-combustion engines.



I. O'CONNOR. VALVE MOTION FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 31. 1914.

LQGKWSD Patented May 28,1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

1 5/39 WozwmgS Jchn '0 thaw/mgr J. OCONNOR. VALVE MOTION FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Patented May 28, 1918 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 31, l9I4 Jenn ocon'non, or new roan, it. v.

VALVE-MUTION INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGIINJES.

Irma-Ilium To alt whom/i1? may concern:

18s it known that 1, Jonas OCounon, a

citizen of the United States, residing in the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, county and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Valve- Motion for lnternal- Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is a valve motion for use, more particularly, in connection with a multi-cylinder engine of the four cycle in ternal combustion type, and it pertains more particularly to a rotary valve which cooperates with. all of the engine cylinders. The objects of the invention are, first, to control the intake of fresh charges to, and the exhaust of spent gases from, all the cylinders by a single rotary valve, as a result of which the structure is simplified by-dispensing with a number of moving parts and less weight per horse power is secured; second, to render the valve mechanism practically noiseless in operation, third, to prc heat the gaseous fuel, thus securing thorough conversion of the liquid fuel; fourth, to attain rapid opening and closing of the valve ports accompanied by a large volumetric capacity of the valve, and, fifth, to secure increased efiiciency of the engine accompanied by simplicity and economy in construction of the valve and increased durability of the Working "parts.

To these ends, the invention embodies a valve chest extending in such relation to the engine as to have eoiiperative relation to all the cylinders thereof, and a doubl tubular valve, or two concentric valves, positioned within and rotatable with respect to said valve chest. The exterior tubular valve is fitted by a ground joint within said valve chest so as to rotate freely therein-and to have the required non-leaking contact there with; and within this exterior tubular valve is positioned the interior tubular valve in such manner as to have a spaced relation thereto, thus resulting in a gas chamber intermediate the concentric valves, which gas chamber serves as a storage space for the fresh charges of combustible vapor and as a means for preheating said fresh charges to a temperature which assures the conversion of liquid fuel into a combustible vapor. Said exterior valve is provided intermediate its ends with the required ports for supplyin the fresh charges to the cylinders. at t e required periods ofltime. 'lhe Specification of Letters Patent.

means forwarming the valve Patented May as, rare.

Application filed January 31, 1914. Serial No. 815,818.

other tubular valve member is provided,

also, with ports which are separate and dis tinct from the ports of the intake valve,

said other valve member being open at one end for the free and uninterrupted outflow of the spent gases. The valve chest and the two valves positioned therein take the place of the intake manifold, thus dispensing'vvith the exhaust manifold and the separate sets of valves usually employed with each cylinder, thus omitting parts without loss. of function and 'materially simplifying the engine.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following detailed description.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an ordinary internal combustionengine illustrating the rotary valve mechanism in vertical longi tudinal section.

Figs. 2, 3, 4L and 5 are vertical transverse sections through one of the engine cylinders and the valve, illustrating the successive positions of the ports at the periods of exhausting the spent gases from the cylinder charges from the cylinder through the valve, and at the compression and power strokes of the cylinder piston.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the rotary valve removed from the engine.

Fig. 7 is a detail view illustrating a mechanism when the engine is at rest.

A designates an engine, and B the cylinders thereof, all of the parts of which are of the usual or any preferred construction. As shown, the cylinder is water jacketed, as

at @-,and within the cylinder operates a pistonl), connected as usual by a pitman d tov the crank e of a shaft E. The cylinder is equipped with the usual spark plug F, but one of the features of the cylinder is that a. single port G is provided for the inflow of the fresh charges of combustible vapor and for the outflow of the spent gases, said ports G of all the cylinders being controlled by a ,valve mechanism of this invention.

H is a valve chest extending lengthwise of the engine so as to have cooperative relation to all of the cylinders thereof, said valve engine cylihders. As shown, the valve chest is positioned on one side'of the engine at the upper part thereof so that it occupiesthc position of the intake manifold. The valve chest is shown as cylindrical, being closed at one end by a head h which is formed with a journal-bearing z'. The other end of the valve chest is open in order that the valve may be slipped therein, and to said open end of the valve chest is attached an elbow H, the latter being adapted for connection with outlet pipe so as to discharge the spent gases freely to the atmosphere. The valve chest is provided with an enlargement h forming a feed chamber H and to this enlargement it, is coupled a earbureter J of one form or another, whereby the fresh charges of combustible vapor are adapted to be supplied to the feed chamber H when the engine is in operation. The interior surface of the valve chest is ground in the maner of grinding valves in faucets, engines, etc., and seated upon this ground inner surface of the valve chest is a double tubular valve, the positionof which is shown in Figs. '1 to 5 inclusive, and the detail of which is represented by Fig. 6.

The valve consists of an exterior tubular member I and an interior tubular member I, said members being positioned in concentric relation to each other, and the inner member I being somewhat smaller than the outer member I so as to produce a chamber i. Theouter tubular member I of the valve is ground into the valve chest so as to be seated therein for free rotation and to secure non-leaking engagement between the surfaces of the valve and the chest. The outer tubular member is provided at one end with a head y' from which extends a shaft J that is journaled in the bearing 2' of the valve chest. Said shaft protrudes beyond the valve chest, and with itis associated a suitable means for imparting rotary motion to the valve at the required speed; as shown,

shaft J is provided with a sprocket k with which engages a sprocket chain is that is driven by a sprocket wheel on the engine shaft E. As shown the double tubular valve is not quite as long as the valve chest, so that the respective end portions of the valve terminate within the end. portions of said valve chest. The head 9' at one end of the valve is in contact with the wall It at one end of the valve chest, but the other end of the valve is engaged by a bushing K, the latter being secured within the valve chest, as shown in Fig. 1, said bushing being provided with an opening 70 which is in com munication with the inner tubular member I of the valve and with the elbow H, thus providing for the exhaust of the spent gases from the valve member I into said elbow.

The exterior member I of thetubular valve is provided substantially centrally thereof with a slot 6 which extends circumferentially except for the bridge bars 6, said slotted part of the valve member I being at all times in communication with the feed chamber H of the valve chest, as a result .of which the combustible vapor supplied to the feed chamber is free to flow into the chamber 71 of said valve member. The valve member is provided, furthermore, with a series of intake ports m, the latter being spaced along the valve in positions corresponding to the ports G of the cylinders, and said intake ports m being staggered around the circumference of the valve member I so that as the valve rotates the intake ports will register in due order with the cylinder ports for the purpose of supplying the charges of combustible vapor at the required periods to the engine cylinders. The other valve member I is in like manner provided with a series of exhaust ports n which are separate from the intake ports and which are cut off from communication with the chamber 2" of valve member I by radial walls 07., whereby the exhaust ports n are adapted to register with the cylinder'ports G in order that the spent gasesmay fiowfrom the cylinders through ports G n and into the chamber of valve member I, and thence through bushing K into the elbow H. The exhaust ports n are spaced at suitable intervals along thevalve, and are staggered around the circumference thereof so as to register at proper periods of time with the cylinder ports G for effecting the discharge of the spent gases at the exhaust strokes of the several pistons; but it will be understood that each set of intake and exhaust ports m, n, are so related to one cylinder that the intake port will communicate with the eylin der port on one downward stroke of the pis ton D, that said valve member I will close the cylinder port during the compression and power strokes of the piston, and that the exhaust ports n will be in register with the cylinder port G upon the expelling stroke of the piston.

In Figs. 2 to 5, inclusive, there is shown the position of one set of valve ports with respect to one cylinder port during the cycle of operations. As shown in Fig. 2, the piston D is on the expelling stroke, so that the valve port n is in register with the cylinder port G. On the intake stroke of the piston shown in Fig. 3, the port m of valve member I is in register with the cylinder port G so that the fresh charge of combustible vapor will be drawn into the cylinder upon the downstroke' of the piston. The valve turns to the position of Fig. 4 wherein the member I closes the engine port G on the compression stroke of the piston, and during the power stroke of the piston, as in Fig. 5, the valve member I continues to close the cylinder port G until by the continued rotation of the valve the exhaust port 1 isagain brought into register with the cylinder port G, as in Fig. 2, thus promemes viding for the free outflow of the spent gases.

In engines employing a rotary valve of the type herein disclosed, the valve when exposed to the intense heat resulting from the ignition of a compressed charge of vapor has a tendency to rapidly deteriorate and become pitted,-which condition of the valve renders it useless for the reason that a pitted valve allows for leakage of the vapon; particularly when the latter is compressed, and thus "the efficiency of the engine is seriously interfered with by the defect in the valve, l 1

My invention overcomes to a great extent this tendency of the valve to become pitted and to deteriorate, for the reason that the explosion of the charge in each cylinder takes place when the piston occupies a high point within said cylinder, that is to say,

as the piston reaches the high point within thecylinder for the purpose of compresslng the combustible charge, the spark takes place and the charge is fired, whereby the piston at the period of firing covers the port between the valve chest and the cylinder.

chest. It is found that with the piston act- Accordingly, the intense heat of the charge at the period of firing is not communicated at once to the rotary valve for thereas'on that at the instant referred to the piston is at a high point within the cylinder so as to cover the port leading to the valve ing as described'the rotary valve is in a measure protected from the gases at the high point of heat, and accordingly, the valve does not.pit and deteriorate under the hot gases.

In Fig. 7 of the drawings there is shown means for warming the valve mechanism so as to prevent the engine from becoming cold and making it difiicult to start the engine during cold weather. When the engine stops running there is a 'certainamount of combustible vapor in the valve mechanism.

. coupled to the valve chest H so as to communicate with the feed chamber H thereof. This pipe 0 is provided with a valve '0, and the other end of said pipe is in communication with a chamber 0. The tubular valve is provided with a pilot tube P which extends through the members I I of the valve so as to have free' communication with the exhaust member I of said valve, vthe other end of said pilot tube P being in free communication at all times with the annular chamber 0'. Before the engine is cut out of service valve 0 should be opened, provision being made in a suitable wa for operating the valve from the 'chaufieurs station on an automobile, and thus the com bustible vapor from chamber-ll is free to flow through the pipe 0 and the pilot tube P, whereby the combustible vapor supplied to the interior of the exhaust valve member I will be ignited by the hot gases from one or more of the c linders, as a result of which the combusti le vapor will burn within the valve member I after the engine stops running, andvthus the valve. mechanism will be kept in a warm condition by the comparatively small flame afforded by the consumption of gas at'the pilot tube.

Having thus fully'described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with ,a, multi-cylinder engine, of a valve chest provided with an intake chamber, a tubular rotary valve positioned within said chest and provided. with ports to establish the flow of fresh gases to, and the exhaust of spent gases from, the cylinders, and means for burning fuel within said valve when the engine is in and out of service condition so as to preheat the valve structure and maintain the same in a condition for instant operation when starting the engine into service.

2.. In an engine of the class described, the combination with the cylinders and a valve mechanism for controlling the inflow of fresh gas to, and the outflow of burnt gases from, said cylinders, of means for feeding gas to said valve mechanism, and a valve controlled gas burner positioned in cooperative relation to said valve, said burner operating to consume fuel when the engine is in and out of service condition for preheating parts of said engine prior to starting it.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to thls specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' JOHN OCONNOR. Witnesses:

M. C. RODRIGUEZ,

H. I. BERNIIERD. 

